Likely THE song that really cemented my lifelong fandom of Iron Maiden, “The Trooper” ticks all of the boxes for what epic songsmithery should be: excellent riff, otherworldly singing, fabulous lead playing, colossal drum fills, a massive sing songy bit (good for concerts, y’know), and ridiculously good and descriptive lyrics. Invoking “The Charge Of The Light Brigade” (Google it!) in not only that stellar wordplay but also in the galloping tempo, Steve Harris once again stepped up his game and delivered a classic that is many a Maiden fan’s favorite and one that continues to appear in the live shows to this day. There aren’t many songs that I’ll hit the repeat button on for multiple plays but due to those aforementioned fiery performances on display I’m bound to hit it at least a couple of times 🙂
In the live environment, this song often takes on a life of its own. Maiden shows over the years will often amp up the excitement level of songs by increasing the tempo and even “The Trooper” gets an extra kick in the pants, amazingly enough. Live versions over the years often show the band in danger of careening off the rails but I’ll be damned if they don’t pull it off well. Drum fills may feel slightly off, guitars may not be in sync, vocals may be rushed, but the energy and excitement levels are through the roof especially come the “whoah oh oh oh” come chorus time. If pressed, I’d have to pick the Live After Death version (and it’s not even close).
So lessee… I would have been 15 when this came out? I think I air-EVERYTHINGed when I heard it and sometimes I still do- air guitar, air bass, air drums, and air vocal. My God THAT VOCAL. One of those songs I wish was in my range as it is one of Bruce Dickinson’s command performances. And that guitar solo? One of Dave Murray’s best. And that bass? A Steve Harris masterpiece. And that… oh never mind, you get the picture. 😉
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Funny thing about that song is how easy it is to play on the drums. So easy, in fact, that I get the impression that Nicko is doing everything he can to hold back the pocket because the guitars are galloping along like mad! It’s an interesting juxtaposition since usually it’s the drums that set the tempo for a song, but man, not on this one! I think that’s what makes The Trooper so unique. A monkey could play the basic drum pattern, it’s so easy, but Nicko just throws in a bunch of tasteful fills to color up the song. He could’ve used a double bass pattern to mimic Steve’s galloping bass line, but he doesn’t, at least not on the studio version. He really holds back, which of course, says a lot about what a great drummer he is. Always tasteful and respectful to the song – the antithesis of Keith Moon, haha!!
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Wanted to mention Steve’s bass attack on this song- there are parts where you hear a bit more “rumble n clank” in his playing that just adds to the coolness factor, as if he’s pushing it that much harder. Nowadays, producers would probably just take a small piece of what he’s playing and cut and paste it via Pro Tools across the rest of the song so it sounds exactly the same. Those slight differences just add to the human element.
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Also re: Nicko… he’s always got some different trick up his sleeve on any live version of this song. He does double up on the footwork to match that gallop, but I don’t think it’s very consistent. Still, he never plays it the same way twice!
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Yeah, like Steve would EVER let anyone tell him what to do! Birch, Shipley? Whatever, it’s his band, haha! And when Nicko DOES gallop along with Harris, it doesn’t make it necessarily better, maybe more powerful sonically, but it isn’t necessary with that many distorted guitars already ripping it! Only Iron Maiden.😄
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